Reagan was down by 32 points in the polls in Feb. 1980. Reagan won by 10 points.
And that was before the alternative media sources that we have today.
That's not what I'm talking about. Every politician is 'down in the polls' at some point. I'm talking about a concentrated years-long bashing of a candidate who is loathed by the media that results in turning the public opinion against that person.
Reagan was considered a dunce or a loon by some in the media, but he never had to deal with the intensity and full-court press the way Palin has until after he actually won.